The Threat of Impatience Exodus 32: 1-6

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v.1            1.          While God is at work, often His people are asked to wait.

                              (And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the
                              mount,

                       

v.1            2.         What God is preparing for His people, they need.

                              (the mount)

v.1            3.          When God’s people cannot see what God is up to, they are tempted with

                               impatience.

                              (mount, the people gathered and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall

                               go before us, for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land

                               of Egypt, we)

v.1            4.         Impatience overrides the report of God’s past faithfulness.

                              (we know not what is become of him.)

v.2            5.        Failing to stay  focused upon God will make a people vulnerable to deceit.

                              (And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the 
                              ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto
                              me.)

v.2            6.        Impatience, when yielded to, can bring open rebellion against God.

                              (And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears,
                              and brought them  unto Aaron.)

v.4-6         7.       Rebellion against God leads to seeking an alternate source for God.

                              (And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, 
                              after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel,
                              which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.)

The Enemy's Inquiry Numbers 23: 14-18

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1) The enemy has to appeal to God to bring his purposes to pass against God’s people.

V.14(built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar)

Note attempt to simulate ways of worship without purity and heart of worship.

2) The enemy is subject to the timetable of God. v.15

(stand here by thy burnt offering,)

3) The enemy is subject to the authority of God and the delegated authority of God. v.15

(while I meet the Lord yonder)

4) The enemy will hear from God or God’s delegated source of authority.

v.16 (and the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.)

5) God’s bounds cannot be passed as long as God fixes the bounds. V.17

(and when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering,)

Go to your authority and find your bounds.

6) To have to wait on authority is to be subject to that authority. V.17

(…he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him.)

7) The enemy knows that what God says is the ruling decree. V.17,18

(and Balak said unto  him, What hath the Lord spoken?)

(…hearken unto me thou son of Zippor.)

Never Beyond the Bounds of God's Control Matthew 4: 1-10

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v 1 1. Testing that comes against God's chosen is not beyond the scope of God's permission.

(Then was Jesus led up on the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.)

v 2 2. The insufficiency of human strength is but an opportunity for God's matchless strength.

 (made perfect in our weakness) (…He was afterward an hungered.)

v 3,4 3. The argument of the devil is never beyond the reach of truth's counsel.

(If thou be the Son of God •••• Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.)

v 5,6,74. The secret of Godly living is not to go beyond the protection and counsel of truth - not to enter into the realm of prevailing and presumption.

( … Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.)

v 8,9 5. The protection of truth prevails when I have no desire outside the bounds of God's provision.

( … All these things will I give thee, … )

God is my provider; I desire nothing that He doesn't give.

v. 10 6. The enemy cannot pass God's appointed bounds over him.

(Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, satan;, for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.)

v. 10 7. God's bounds never give a believer the right to worship and serve any other.

(Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.)

The affection of our heart must not be beyond God's command. 

The Tables Turned Numbers 23: 11, 12

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1) The enemy has expectation befitting his plans.

 V.11 (curse mine enemies) 

2) God desires to and delights in turning the table on the enemy, frustrating his plans.

V.11 (I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether)

3) Obedience to God's instruction will result in the enemy's expectations not being met. 

V.11(Balaam) 

4) The enemy wants God’s people cursed; God has declared them blessed.

V.11(. .. curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.), 

5) When the enemy thinks he can influence and control, God reveals His superiority.

V.11(thou hast blessed them altogether.)

6) The enemy intends a good reward for no one; God extends a good reward to all His own.

v.11  (I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold thou hast blessed them altogether.)

7) God’s purposes alone shall stand.

V.12(…Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?)

The Comfort of God's Instruction Matthew 2: 13-15

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V 13 1) God knows everything that is to happen, and is in control.

V 13 2) God cares greatly for His own plan and His own  carrying out His plan.

V 13 3) God gives precise instruction to protect His work and His workers.

( ••• Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt)

V 13 4) God's children gain contentment and protection from obeying God's instruction and waiting on further instruction.

( ••• Arise ••• ; and be thou there till I  bring thee word;)

To not wait on God is to lose His protection.

V 13 5) God may choose to reveal to His children the purpose of their waiting in Him.

(for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him).

V 14 6) To go from a place preferred by man to a place appointed by God is to gain the comfort of God's presence.

To be where man wants without the protection of obedience and God's manifested presence is great loss.

V 15 7) God is bound to see that His word comes to pass.

If believers desire to have a fruitful, successful life to enjoy God's blessings, simply abide in His word doing only as His word instructs, all that His word instructs because God brings His word to pass and will likewise honor the one submitting to His word.

Rule Changing Numbers 23: 13, 14, 27

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1) Where the enemy is not gaining an advantage he attempts a rule 

change. V.13

(come, I pray thee, with me unto another place,)

2) The enemy’s new argument is that we are not seeing all there is

to see yet. V.13

 (from where thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, ) 

3) The enemy attempts to alter our allegiance to truth by introducing a different viewpoint 

or vantage point. V.13 

(and shall not see them all) 

4) The enemy’s objective doesn’t change though he wants the rules changed. V.13

(and curse them for me from there)

5) The enemy attempts to imitate or simulate a religious environment. V.14 

(and he brought him into the field of Zophim, …and built seven altars, …)

Using facsimile of truth, attempt to use for his gain.

6) Any place along the pathway of following God, the enemy will attempt to divert attention by altering the rules of obedience.  V.27

(and Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; perhaps it will please God that thou mayest curse them for me from there.)

7) God doesn’t alter His plan, his words, His authority, His purpose.

 We are not to listen to alterations of God’s plan.

Make sure it is God’s plan.

The Commitment Genesis 28: 20-22

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v.20            1.When God clearly declares Himself to your heart, it is time for a response.

                    (And Jacob vowed a vow, …)

v.20            2.A commitment to God is never a lighthearted thing.

                   (And Jacob vowed a vow,…)

v.20            3.God is looking for a "won't turn back" type of commitment.

                    (And Jacob vowed a vow, …)

v.21            4.A commitment based upon God's faithfulness will be a commitment kept.

                   (If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me

                   bread to eat, and raiment to put on, …)

                   For God will surely be faithful.

v.21            5.A commitment to God acknowledges no other source.

                     (…then shall the Lord be my God:)

v.22            6.A commitment to God needs a reminder point, a decision reminder.

                    (And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house:)

v.22            7.A commitment to God will bear continuous expression to God's faithfulness in 

                     praise and honor to Him.

                   (and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.)